Latest: A connection has emerged between the gunman and a Texas church where 26 people were killed as police described the victims as "defenceless people".

Latest: A man opened fire inside a church in a small South Texas community on Sunday, killing more than 20 people, including children, and wounding at least 20 others.

Gardaí have submitted a detailed file to the DPP in relation to a fatal attack on a man at a truck stop in Cork earlier this year.

Two sets of churchgoers are competing to find buried treasure, but do not appear to have a prayer.

A born again Christian preacher accused of making grossly offensive remarks about Muslims has been cleared by a court in the North.

As Peter Robinson prepares to step down as Northern Ireland’s first minister and leader of his Democratic Unionist Party, the race is on to succeed him.

The 26-year-old killer who gunned down classmates at an Oregon college spared a student and gave the “lucky one” something to deliver to authorities, according to the mother of a student who witnessed the rampage.

A standing ovation and fond reminiscences marked a family-and-friends memorial to the late blues great BB King’s life and legacy.

ON A weekend when Islamic State released what appears to be a film of the murders of about 30 Ethiopians for no reason other than the fact that they were Christians, the differences thrown up by next month’s referendum on marriage equality may seem petty, almost academic.

A Baptist pastor has equated gay sex with rape in a condemnation of the forthcoming referendum on same-sex marriage.

In keeping with the Good Friday tradition, high priests are baying for blood — except this time the cause is life and not death by crucifixion.

Stephen King

ENGLAND: A 57kg former police dog is poised to be the latest weapon to be used to sniff out sewer-blocking fat, oil, and grease.

Justin Bieber brought his XBox with him on an night out.

Health officials in Australia have confirmed a 57-year-old woman is being tested for Ebola after returning to the country from Sierra Leone.

A US man who was fired a day earlier from delivery service UPS put on his work uniform, drove to an Alabama package sorting centre and killed two managers, police said.

Yellowbird’s legacy is a bright ray of light in the bleak Chinese political landscape, writes Melinda Liu.

Islamic representatives in the North have welcomed a public apology from an evangelical preacher who sparked controversy when he said he did not trust Muslims.

An evangelical preacher who sparked controversy in the North when he said he did not trust Muslims has apologised for any distress he might have caused.

A place where children once went wild with delight is now being turned into a retreat of quiet contemplation.

Northern Ireland’s first minister Peter Robinson has made a public apology for any offence caused to Muslims by his defence of a controversial preacher.

An evangelical preacher who triggered controversy in the North when he claimed he did not trust Muslims has visited the home of two Pakistani victims of race hate attacks.

In an attempt to distance himself from his initial robust defence of the remarks of the Belfast Protestant evangelical minister Pastor James McConnell who described Muslims as heathen, satanic and spawned evil, Northern Ireland’s First Minister Peter Robinson said he believed the pastor "has the right to freedom of speech" but that he "would never seek to cause any insult to any section of our community".

Police in the North are investigating a potential hate crime after an evangelical Protestant preacher said the Muslim faith was "satanic".

A court has unanimously upheld the involuntary manslaughter conviction of Michael Jackson’s doctor, ruling there was substantial evidence of his guilt presented at trial.

The distraught mother of the 3-year-old boy tragically killed in a lift shaft broke down yesterday as she recalled the moments leading up to the tragedy.

Kimi Raikkonen has undergone a successful operation on his back.

Spain will review speed limits and security systems throughout its rail network to avoid a repeat of a train crash that killed 79 people last month, a government minister said yesterday.

A teenage girl beheaded her father with a bush knife after he raped her at their home in Papua New Guinea, a report said, with community leaders protecting her, saying the man deserved to die.

Frank Williams is convinced his team can fight their way back this season to again “challenge the very best”.

An evangelical, non-denominational church which has nearly 700 members from 32 countries is going hi-tech to deliver the word of God to its flock.

Valtteri Bottas has been promoted to race driver for the 2013 Formula One season as he will line up alongside Pastor Maldonado at Williams.

THE busiest spot in Cork City right now has to be directly across the Lee from City Hall, along and behind Lapps Quay.

A Christian community with almost 1,000 members celebrated an international feast in Cork yesterday with 70 dishes on offer.

The provocative anti-Muslim film implicated in mob protests in Egypt, Libya and Yemen received logistical help from a man once convicted of financial crimes and featured actors who complained that their inflammatory dialogue was dubbed in after filming.

Katie Taylor’s pre-fight schedule revolves around prayer and recitation of what has become known as “Katie’s psalm”, according to Pentecostal Church Pastor Sean Mullarkey.

A man who dove in front of his girlfriend and saved her life during the Colorado movie shooting has been remembered for his selfless sacrifice, while an aspiring sports journalist was praised for her boundless energy.

A Baptist pastor in North Carolina has triggered internet outrage with his call from the pulpit for all gays and lesbians to be rounded up, fenced in like cattle, then left to die.

The gunman who shot seven dead at a small US university had been upset with its administration and felt “mistreated” and “disrespected” by students, police said.

Whitney Houston’s former husband dramatically walked out of her funeral today as some of the biggest names in the music industry gathered to pay tribute to her.

Murder victim John Forrester, whose body was found in the River Bandon in November, had found peace in the weeks before his death, his family was told yesterday.